


Bernie and Audrey

by Biomancer



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Animal Therapy, Anxiety, Cat adoption, Cats, Female My Unit | Byleth, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Just Add Kittens, Mute My Unit | Byleth, No Spoilers, Other, Sign Language, Validation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 01:23:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21110387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Biomancer/pseuds/Biomancer
Summary: Bernadetta finds a cat in her room, adopts her and tries to take good care of her new friend. Difficult situations ensue, both end up better for it.





	Bernie and Audrey

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little story I've been writing, and I enjoyed doing so a lot! I just figured that Bernie would appreciate having a feline little friend and it all went from there. A big thanks to all my beta readers and comments appreciated!

#  Bernie And Audrey 

_INTRUDER IN MY ROOM! A MONSTER! A BRIGAND! A MURDERER!_

Bernadetta von Varley jumped off her bed all the way to the door in one jump, which was honestly quite a distance for someone so short. She’d just plopped down for a quick afternoon nap after a long day of lessons, when an unidentified sound came from behind the trash bin under her desk. 

_There’s a monster in my room and they’re going to think it’s there because of me and it probably is and they’ll have to burn me and my room to ash to contain the infestation! And that’s if it doesn’t EAT me first!_

Bernadetta slammed her door shut from the outside, taking a minute to catch her breath and think. There was a monster, sure. Definitely sounded big and poisonous and innocent-girl-eating. 

_Nobody else can know about this, can’t get help! _

They would tell the Knights and the Knights would tell the Archbishop and the Archbishop would issue an eradication order and they’d have no choice but to kill all the students!

_You’re all on your own, Bernie. You have to reclaim your room! It’s the only way! Deep breaths… Deep breaths..._

Bernadetta took off one of her shoes, wielding it like a weapon for comfort. If only she were more comfortable in heels like a proper lady should be… 

Now adequately armed, Bernie slowly opened the door, shaking in her remaining shoe. 

_Why does this door creak so much! Should be oiled, needs to be oiled! Noise attracts suspicion!_

“I’m warning you! I’m armed and dangerous! You’d better run away and never come back!”

Bernadetta carefully walked in, step by step. Nothing was to be seen… but where could the intruder be hiding? There wasn’t THAT much room in here…

Something moved beneath the desk. Bernadetta kept to the other side of the room, clinging to the wall and climbing on top of her bed. It took her a few seconds to realize that something down there was looking right at her and was just as scared.

A cat. A nervous cat with a dark patchwork coat was hiding behind the trash bin and peeped out with its green eyes. 

“What the… A kitty cat?” said Bernadetta, still wielding her deadly shoe.

“Mow?” replied the cat.

There were plenty of stray cats on the monastery grounds. This one must’ve snuck in through the window while Bernadetta was in class… Hey, but pets were definitely not allowed (without written permission from Grand Seneschal Sir Seteth himself) for students on monastery grounds! Probably on threat of expulsion or worse! The exact details escaped Bernie for a moment; they had been explained to her on the first day, during most of which she was looking for escape routes.

“You can’t be in here, cat! Go away! This is my room!” commanded Bernie. The cat backed up further into the shadow underneath the desk. It made rumbling, nervous sounds. That didn’t help. Bernie saw a brief glimpse of claws and teeth.

There was no way Bernadetta was going to remove the cat by force, and getting someone else to do it was out of the question! Not only would they be coming into her room but also they’d probably think Bernie was hiding the animal there on purpose and report her.

Okay, change of plans. Bernie put her shoe back on, and walked back to the door, not breaking eye contact with the cornered cat.

“I’m going to leave the door unlocked, see? I’m just going to run over to the end of the cathedral and scream in a pew, I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, and you’ll have all the time to leave, okay? Okay! Good plan!” Bernadetta negotiated, as she walked backwards out of her (well, ownership now disputed) room.

And so she did. Good screaming session. Less success with the diplomacy though; when Bernie got back to her room, the cat was still there. Bernadetta grunted into her sleeve in frustration.

_What to do, what to do, what to dooo?_

Deep breath. Advice. Bernie needs advice. They can’t know it’s about this cat situation, gotta think up a plausible lie. Fabricate evidence. And do it fast! 

It struck Bernadetta. There was one person more qualified than any other to help Bernie make judgment calls on a situation like this. She left her room still unlocked, just in case the cat decided to leave on its own.

It was a stroke of luck that Bernie ran across her sitting in the dining hall, eating an early meal and writing in her notebook. She probably had stuff to do in the evening. critical, princessely stuff that was much more important than this…

Bernadetta fought the instinct to run away for a solid minute, standing at the door opening and clutching her skirt into a crinkle.

_Come on, Bernie! Do it for your room! You need that place! It’s your new home, your better home!_

Bernadetta blinked, and she found herself standing next to her. Her classmate, her friend… her future Emperor. She managed to squeak out something remotely understandable.

“L-Lady Edelgard?”

The princess closed her notebook and turned her attention towards Bernadetta. _Oh god, she was wasting Edelgard’s precious time and was going to be executed!_

“Bernie, please” Edelgard replied, stately but not unkind, “When we’re not at court, you may call me Edelgard, remember?”

_She’s smiling… but it’s probably a fake smile! A trap!_

“Right… Of course! My apologies La-… Edelgard.”

“Apology accepted, Bernadetta. What do you wish to speak to me about?”

“Well, you see I uh… I wanted your advice on something… and I supposed you were the wisest person in these matters… because you are the future Emperor and all...” Bernadetta stumbled out.

“Well, I won’t pretend to know all the answers, but if you really think I can be of use to you, please lay your problem to me.”

“Uh, okay. Well… Consider it a… a territory dispute! Presume there is someone who… who really wants some territory you have. And… and you know you can spare it… and you like sharing it with this someone… but you’re not sure if you’re allowed to..?”

In an instant, Edelgard had turned a shade of red that almost perfectly matched her cape and leggings. 

“Bernie, isn’t this question better asked of… of Dorothea? I really feel I shouldn’t be giving you the wrong advice on whatever it is you have going on...”

Bernadetta realized, and the warning signs of an impending attack flared up all throughout her.

“No no no no no no no NO!” she squeaked out. “It’s not that, it’s not _like that!_ I… I swear this really is a territory dispute!”

“Ah… all right, all right. If you say so.” Edelgard replied. She moved her gloved hand as a gesture of apology for the misconception. Princess Edelgard radiated an authoritative aura that could calm even Bernadetta as long as she caught her early in an attack, something Bernie had grown to respect and appreciate about her future Emperor.

Edelgard took a moment to be sure Bernadetta was in a state to listen, then spoke. 

“Well… Considering your territory as absolutely ‘yours’ is a fallacy, I believe. What makes one lord of their domain is based on many factors. Both our family lines have history to them, inherited from parent to child. Based on our Crests, rather than our honest merit, we have been given the right and duty to ward our subjects. But this is a system that only holds as long as it has the faith of those subjects that their ruler can protect them. There are a lot more commoners than there are nobles, I would argue it is in fact more ‘their’ territory than ‘ours’.“

Bernadetta nodded, a little awed. _Does Edelgard come up with these speeches on the spot? _

Edelgard continued.

“Regardless of that. If there is a dispute, there are different parties with different goals. As a ruler, one must be aware of all of these in order to not be outplayed. What is it that your opponents _really_ want, and what are the ways they could achieve this outcome? People do not always have a _good_ reason for what they do, but there is always a reason. Finding and comparing those reasons is the first step to solving any dispute. Then, you need to decide whether it is possible to negotiate, or whether to apply force, if there is no better option.”

_She’s only as old as I am, yet she seems so wise and leaderly…_

“I… I think I get it! Thank you, Lady Edelgard!”

_Bernie, you idiot! You said the L-word again! She’ll have your head for this!_

Edelgard smiled, and concluded: 

“Any time, Bernadetta. Don’t worry about it. I appreciate that you consider me someone to ask for advice.” 

Bernadetta walked back to her room, making sure she wasn’t being followed. She pondered about what Lady Edelgard had advised her. _Figure out the reason why._

Bernie made it safely back to her room. Nobody had seen. Right? She stood outside her door extraordinarily long for her doing. Maybe the cat had just up and left already and the problem had solved itself?

Well, if not, at least Bernadetta had figured out what she wanted. Her own freaking room back!

Bernadetta unlocked her door and slipped inside. The cat was not in sight when she entered, which gave her a brief moment of hope that this problem was settled. But when she crawled onto her bed and looked under her desk, there the unwanted visitor was still, hidden behind the small garbage bin. It did seem to have calmed down a bit. Didn’t look nearly as scary now.

“Okay, I’ve played with cats before. I can do this,” Bernie said to herself. She sat on the edge of her bed and let her hand down, beckoning the cat over. It looked at her, puzzled at first.

“Uh… here kitty kitty?”

The cat was wary, but it did raise itself on its paws at least.

“I don’t want to hurt you, kitty. I just want to negotiate,” said Bernadetta.

The cat made a cautious first step forward. It was a bit… heftier... of a cat than it had initially seemed. It took a few more steps, slowly and with many pauses. Was it trying to gather courage too? Whatever the case, it made it’s way over to Bernadetta’s trembling hand.

Bernadetta froze up, conscious but not being able to act, as the cat sniffed her fingers. It liked what it found, and rubbed its cheek gently in, breaking the tension enough for Bernie to start breathing again. The feeling of impending panic subsided again, slowly but steadily.

“Aww, you’re not such a bad...”

Bernie discretely looked behind the cat.

“...girl. Are you?”

Bernie sat normally over the side of her bed, which startled the cat enough to make her step away for a second, but she made her way back soon enough. The cat purred as it pushed its head onto Bernadetta’s feet. It didn’t seem inclined to roll around all that much like some other cats did, perhaps because of its size?

“Oh… well I suppose you need a name too, don’t you, kitty?”

Bernie looked at the row of pitcher plants at the window. Somehow the cat must have slipped into the room right between them, they were undisturbed. Hey, there’s an idea!

“...what about Audrey? What do you think about that name?”

The cat moved in what Bernie chose to hear as a happy affirmation.

“Okay then, cat. I dub thee Audrey von Varley!”

Little presumptuous, but at least the animal had a name now. That made it much easier to parley with her. Now, the next step. Bernadetta moved her hand onto Audrey’s head, stroking the soft fur there. This pleased Audrey something fierce, and the happy cat purred away.

_Understand the needs of each party._

Time for reasoning. Why would a cat choose an occupied student’s room to move into? There was no food here (except for some emergency crackers Bernie kept in case she needed to stay inside for multiple days), and there were no other cats here either… Wait a minute...

Bernie stopped petting for a moment. 

“Did… did you run away to hide from them all, Audrey?”

Audrey stared at Bernadetta and mowed.

“I see…. Me too. I like people well enough, but sometimes I just need to… not be around people for a while. I guess that is what you want too, huh Audrey? A little time away from all your cat friends?”

As if to demonstrate, Audrey gave Bernadetta’s leg one last rub, then walked back to underneath the desk, flinching a few times at sounds from outside the window. She crouched back down in her dark corner.

Bernadetta sighed.

“I guess I don’t _need_ that corner of my desk all that much… You can stay there for now. Let me get you a few things, Audrey.”

Bernie put out a plate and filled it with some water from her canteen, and set it down at the other corner of the area under her desk. Audrey was quite thirsty, and she walked over to lap that up. Bernadetta quickly inspected the corner for leavings (thankfully none), then put an old towel down there for Audrey to sit on.

“Here. It’s not much, but for now you can have this. You can stay here tonight, okay? We can talk about the future tomorrow.”

Audrey sniffed the towel, approved, and laid down with a yawn that made Bernie kinda sleepy too.

When Bernadetta woke up the next morning, she saw her new roommate snoozing happily in her spot, not a care in the world. A kind of happiness that she herself had not found yet again.

After, there was no talk of Audrey leaving any more. During the next week, Bernie learned a lot about cat care from the library (thanks Linhardt!), and she gave Audrey a comfortable new place to stay, carefully hidden away from the rest of the monastery. Audrey mostly fed herself somewhere during the day, but she was happy to accept any scraps of food Bernie could spare. And after a week…

Bernie was in a _great_ mood! A private tutoring session with Professor Byleth about cavalry manoeuvres in different terrains had given her much to think about, and she’d near aced the theoretics test! Tonight she had stable duty, but for this whole afternoon she was free to spend in her room, reading a good book with Audrey purring on her lap.

Bernadetta happily entered her room, only to be immediately struck with alarm. From beneath her desk, from Audrey’s space, came faint squirming sounds, as if her feline friend was injured and in pain!

“Audrey? Are you okay, what’s up with that weird noise? You can tell me if you…”

There were _five of them._

Audrey was lying on her side and four disgusting squirming _things_ were side-to-side on Audrey’s belly. They were wet and peeping and smelly and _adorable._

“Audrey..!” Bernadetta peeped out. “I… I had no idea! So this is why you needed a safe place!”

Audrey responded with a weak but proud meow. The kittens just squeaked and squirmed a lot. 

“Oh, Audrey… Now I understand why you never moved on through,” Bernadetta said. “You were just looking for a nice quiet home for your babies…”

Bernie reached over to Audrey’s head, careful not to touch the naked babies. She gently ran her finger over the new mother’s brow, in the way she knew Audrey loved. Audrey looked so tired, but oh so proud.

“It’s okay, Audrey… You did so well! I don’t think you all can stay here forever… But I will make sure you and your babies have a good place here with me for a while, okay?”

Audrey was plenty okay with that. She let out a soft mow. Bernie cleaned what she could, and gave the weakened cat some water and food.

A few weeks passed, and Audrey’s kittens grew fast. Their eyes opened; they started to hobble around and explore their room. Bernadetta had built an improvised wall of socks and junk to separate the zone under her desk from the rest of the room, but the kittens were getting craftier every day. Hungrier too. They were still nursing off their mother for the most part, but not only did that make Audrey require a lot more food, the kittens would at some point require food of their own…

“I don’t know how you do it, Audrey… Taking care of four kids all by yourself... I can’t even imagine having _one_ child of my own...”

Audrey took a break from constantly grooming any nearby kittens, and mowed in response.

“Okay, that is true.” Bernie said smiling, “I suppose you do have me to help. I like that, Audrey. I like being useful to you. Thank you for choosing me to be your friend.”

Audrey mowed again, probably meaning something nice in cat language.

“But someday someone is going to find out… I won’t be able to sneak enough food in here for you and all four of your babies when they start...”

One, two, three. There were _three_ kittens snuggled together in a pile underneath Audrey’s chin. The pale one, the greenish one and the blueish one. Where was the black one?

Bernadetta rose to go look, but on cue, a tiny mew came from her feet. The bravest one of the kitten siblings managed to sneak out through a weak spot in the assembled wall, and away from his mother’s notice, though he hadn’t gotten far before being distracted by Bernie’s socks. Bernadetta picked up the tiny ball of fur carefully, scooping the kitten up with two hands. It squealed and rolled around to rub its back on Bernie’s palms.

“There you are! Come on, back to mama you go, little kitten… Huh.”

It was so much easier for Bernadetta to talk to cats than it was to talk to humans. Was that because they didn’t talk back as much, or because they were so small? Or maybe because Bernie actually felt useful when around them?

A thought occurred. The kittens were just that still, kittens. They had developed different enough personalities and appearances to tell them apart now, so perhaps it was time for… names?

“I named you, and you liked that, right Audrey?” Bernadetta said, addressing her first feline roommate.

Audrey looked up at the mention of her name, then resumed doting on her slowly waking brood. Bernie assumed she was on the right track.

First was the outgoing kitten in her hands, the one with the blackest hue to its fur. Right now it was attempting to chew on one of Bernie’s fingers.

“Your fluff and eyes remind me of that scary Hubert… But you’re not like him at all, are you? You’re a big sweetie, you’d never hurt me… despite what you’re trying right now I guess. Do you want to be Hubert, kitty?”

The kitten looked up, and Bernadetta saw a gleam in his yellow eyes that confirmed it for her. Then kitten-Hubert yawned and fell asleep the next second, all tired out. Bernie gave him a gentle kiss on his head, and gave the adventurous little boy back to his mother.

“Okay, that wasn’t so bad. If only the real Hubert was this easy to handle… Let’s see...”

The other kittens had woken up and two were busy playing with each other, wrestling and batting paws, always stopping short of actually hurting but making a good effort at it. The greenish one and the blueish one, a sister and a brother. They were nice but a bit standoffish. Who did they remind Bernie of…? Oh! Of course!

“You can be Lady Rhea, and you can be that scary Felix guy from the Blue Lions! I find it kind of terrifying to try to talk when one of them is around… But I can practice with you, kitties!”

The last kitten was off on her own from her three siblings, watching them stumble around. She had a beige tone to most of the patches of her fur, and her eyes seemed to always be watching something with stern judgment. She only was rarely found playing with the others, though Bernie knew she enjoyed it a lot when she did. Sometimes a person needs some time alone, and it’s probably the same for kitties too.

Bernadetta stuck her hand out near the pale kitten, letting her sniff her hand on her own terms. The kitten deigned to do so, gave a polite lick, and once she was satisfied with the ritual, a series of cheek rubs.

“You remind me of Princess Edelgard… I find her scary to talk to sometimes, but when I do she always says the right things, and she doesn’t get mad at me or anything. Would you like to be named after her, Edelgard?”

Edelgard-the-kitten mewled happily at her new name, and started parading around Bernie’s hand while rubbing her sides on it, but the exercise quickly tuckered her out. Bernie put her down safely next to Audrey, who started dedicatedly cleaning the kitten as Edelgard tried to fight off sleep for a few more seconds, before losing that fight gracefully.

Bernadetta smiled as she looked over the now named kittens and their already-named mother. Her new family. Her better family.

Some more time passed, and sneaking bits of food off her own plate was no longer an option to keep feeding the hungry cats in her room, Bernadetta slowly realized, as she went hungry enough to notably thin out a bit, to which end Dorothea offered her support and a listening ear if she needed to. But she couldn’t tell her… Nice as Dorothea was she would still have to report Bernadetta… and then what would happen to the poor cats! (also a horrible death or worse for Bernie.)

It was nearing the kitchen’s closing time, but there was still some time left. There were always fish left over from people’s daily catches. Cats liked fishies, right? Just a matter of finding one, not even extensive cooking required. Just a small one, they won’t miss that.

When she was pretty sure nobody was paying too much attention, Bernie slipped inside the cold store room. A few racks lined each side of the room, and well-maintained magic runes kept the temperature down to a near-freezing level. Not dressed for these conditions, Bernadetta shivered, briefly considered a horrible death by hypothermia, and that her frozen corpse would be only discovered in the spring and it would scare some poor servant to death too and…

Bernie snapped out of it. Focus on the goal. Get food for the cats, get out again. You can’t _afford_ to be bogged down here, they are all counting on you. 

Unfortunately, none of the accessible shelves held anything usable… Today had been a fish feast and the stores were cleared out… But perhaps they had missed something on a top shelf, hidden behind something else? There was a good fifth of the room that Bernie could straight up not see from the ground level. She looked around for a stepladder, or a crate, or a…

The door opened.

_They are onto you!_

Bernadetta retreated up against the back wall. _Cornered!_

In through the door slipped the tall and dark shape of Hubert von Vestra, Princess Edelgard’s right hand man, Bernie’s classmate and _the stuff of waking nightmares._

No matter the situation, Hubert always exuded the aura of murderous intent. This, for once, was not just a spin of Bernie’s mind alone; she’d overhead several other students and staff talk about it, and Dorothea loved to tease him for it.

And now _he had caught Bernie alone in a dark room!_

Bernadetta’s heart pounded in her ears, panic overtaking her entirely. Hubert was out for blood, and he’d found it!

“Hello, Bernadetta,” the fiend said. _Murder and suspicion and murder!_

“DON’T KILL ME PLEASE!” Bernie suddenly yelled out, “I HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!”

Hubert was a little taken aback at this, at least enough to not come closer.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Uh..! Ah, I’m sorry! I’m sorry I said that! I’m sorry! I promise I _don’t_ have anything to live for! That was a lieee!” Bernadetta managed to squeak out while lapsing into panicked tears

“Bernadetta von Varley, calm down. I have no malicious intent towards you or anyone you care for. You are my classmate and your existence does Lady Edelgard a great boon,” Hubert declared.

“I… I am? I mean I do?” Bernadetta said, taken aback.

“Yes. And I understand your situation and I hold no ill will towards you. Now may I step in? I was looking for some supplies.”

“Yes, yes... of course! Don’t let me stop you! (Not that I could...)”

“Thank you.”

Hubert looked around the shelves for whatever it was that he wanted specifically, as Bernie tried to press herself flat against the far wall of the pantry. Wait, he was looking on the high shelves first…

“Uh… Hubert..?” Bernie squeaked out.

“Yes?”

“You uh… are really tall...”

“So I’ve been told. I’m sure that if you eat your vegetables that one day you will be too.”

“No way! I always eat my veggies! I think this is as tall as Bernie’s going to get...” Bernadetta replied sadly.

Hubert smiled a little, having successfully tricked Bernadetta into slipping an honest response past her nerves.

“Hubert… Can you see if there’s like… a small fish still on the shelves up there? You don’t have to get it for me, and you don’t have to do this or anything! But I uh… could use one.”

Hubert grunted in acknowledgement. Didn’t take him five seconds to find something and reach for it. He produced a small trout, seemingly missed by the kitchen staff.

“That’s perfect! Thanks, Hubert!” Bernadetta said as she jumped forward to take the fish from his hands. Oh, the cats would love this!

Hubert chuckled softly. He stepped aside so Bernadetta could leave with her treasure.

“Do not ever feel too burdened to call on me for these services if you have need of them, Bernadetta. I have served our Lady Edelgard a long time. I am not unfamiliar with retrieving items from high places.”

Hubert’s face somehow became even scarier as he realized what he had just insinuated.

“...You shall not speak a word of that comment anywhere outside this pantry,” he said with somehow even more violent murder in his tone.

“...uh-huh...” Bernadetta squeaked out. “I will… Thank you...”

Bernadetta ran out of the pantry, the fish hidden up her sleeve. She cut it into kitten-compatible pieces in her room, and the meal was enjoyed immensely by all participants.

Later that week it would all fall apart.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Aah! Who-who is it? Give me a second!” replied Bernadetta, quickly getting up from her writing, but being careful there was no cat currently in a danger zone. She had dropped a paperweight near Edelgard once and the little kitten had never forgiven her for it.

No spoken response came from the visitor, but something confirmed their identity anyway. A secretly coded tap she had decided on with Bernadetta. Tap-thap-thaaap. 

Professor Byleth Eisner.

The woman who had become the Black Eagles’ instructor for this year was mute and communicated through sign language (which the Eagles had taken a crash course on) and written language (her handwriting was _beautiful!_). Despite the inherent communication troubles at the start, she had grown into a wonderfully supportive teacher, especially in light of having no prior teaching experience.

“Ah! Professor! Please hold on!” Bernie replied as she frantically tried to make sure all the cats were safely out of sight before she slipped out the door. Two big ears and eight small ones all under the desk behind the barrier, which was probably as good as it could get. Bernadetta instructed her friends to shush, then doffed her uniform to look as presentable as possible.

Outside the room the Professor was patiently awaiting. She’d stood away from the door, a lesson learned. The first time she’d visited Bernie’s abode the panicky student had gotten startled from the sudden proximity and slammed the door in her face. But they both had gotten far better at working with each other’s habits over their time at Garreg Mach. 

Bernadetta squeezed herself out while keeping the door minimally open.

“Sorry, Professor!“ said Bernadetta.

“That is okay,” signed Byleth, “How are you feeling, Bernadetta?”

On the best of days Bernadetta could not read the Professor’s emotions. She could tell a joke or a ghastly horror story from her mercenary days and barely anything would change in her facial expression.

“How I’m feeling? Uh, pretty fine I guess? Nothing to complain about, I’m sure. Not a care in the world?” Bernadetta replied.

“You can tell me if there is anything wrong. I promise I will never betray your trust, Bernadetta. I care for my students. I care for you,” Byleth stated. She held out her hands for Bernie to take if she wanted to.

Oh no. It was _that_ kind of talk. No no no no no! They’d seen through the masking and the hiding! They had all been onto her from the start! 

Bernadetta flared up, but in a different way than usual. She could manage that a lot better. The Professor was wrong, they were all wrong! And she didn’t have to take this!

“There’s nothing wrong! Why do people always think there’s something wrong with me! For once in my life I’m actually fine! I’m happy and comfortable and I’m eating better and… and...”

_Now you’ve done it. Now you’ve really really done it. _Tears shot in Bernadetta’s eyes as she jumped back instinctively. 

“No! No I didn’t mean to… I shouldn’t have...”

Professor Byleth gently took Bernadetta’s hand, and squeezed it just enough to snap her back in gear. “Okay,” she signed with her other hand. “It’s okay.”

“No, Professor… You don’t understand! I’m fine but I know it doesn’t _look_ fine but I promise I am fine, or at least I was and then everybody got the wrong idea and I just...”

“Do you want to go into your room, Bernadetta? It’s okay if you want to. We can talk another time.”

Bernie took a deep breath. It would have to happen anyway. _Better it be the Professor, at least she can’t _talk _to anyone about it… _

…

_Oh, **BAD BERNIE!** That was incredibly inappropriate to joke about!_

_Wait, we aren’t responding! Quick, say something!_

“No… Er I mean yes. Yes I want to go into my room… but there is something I think you should see, Professor...”

Byleth took a moment, then nodded in agreement. She waited for Bernadetta to slip inside first, then for the girl to work up courage to allow her in too. Took her a few seconds, but Bernadetta dutifully opened the door for her.

The Professor stepped inside, staying near the entrance. She knew how sensitive Bernadetta was about the privacy of her room.

“Oh, sorry, but I have to close the door….”

Bernie awkwardly reached around the Professor and closed the door behind her. Byleth put her hand on her chin and raised a curious eyebrow.

“Now please don’t freak out or start yelling… I know this is going to be a huge shock to learn and if you want to punish me you can but please let them live, I beg of you! They’re innocent, they didn’t choose the life they were given!”

Professor Byleth expressed a mix of confusion and curiosity. It was strange to see her like this, far different from the stern teacher or the ice cold mercenary. Kind of… human? Huh.

Bernadetta walked to her desk, with the Professor obediently remaining standing at the doorway.

The chorus of mews that had been such a soothing sound (well, _depending on the time of day_) to Bernie greeted her, but this time it did not put her at ease. Her heart raced, her thoughts went wild. Only by the barest will did she manage to stay on target.

Bernadetta put aside part of the sock barrier and reached to pick up the nearest willing kitten.

Hubert, of course, happily hobbled towards Bernadetta’s hand first. Bernie picked him up with ease and clutched the purring ball of fluff to her chest. She sighed, still facing away from the Professor.

Perhaps she sensed that the cats, especially Hubert, wanted to greet the new human too. Perhaps it was by her own will that she managed to turn around. Perhaps it was the will of the Creator herself. But Bernie opened her eyes, and she found she had turned around, holding Hubert the kitten out in her cupped palms.

“Professor, this is Hubert… one of my cats.”

The Professor looked stunned and shocked. Bernadetta saw the gears racing in her mind, deciding the proper execution method, what to write to her parents and who should get the room after Bernie was finally gone.

“I… I’m sorry! One day there was a cat in my room and then she wouldn’t leave and then there were all these kittens and and and...”

A soft touch of fur brushed against Bernie’s leg. She looked down, and the other three kittens were crowding around her feet, alternating between looking up at her and carefully eyeing the new guest. They had never seen another human before; did they think there was only one in the world? A world that did not extend beyond these four walls even.

Bernie glanced at the Professor again, who was still standing there in terrifying and calculating silence. She put Hubert down with his siblings again.

“Now, Professor, I...” Bernie started, before she interrupted herself.

Hubert had _sprinted_ towards the Professor (or at least her feet) to introduce himself, crashing into her legs face-first.

Then something unimaginable happened.

Professor Byleth _actually smiled a genuine, ear-to-ear smile._ She clasped her hands to her face and danced about excitedly.

Bernadetta let her mouth fall open in shock, silently watching the mute ex-mercenary coo over the tiny fluffball attempting to either attack or cuddle her feet.

The absolute happiest anyone had ever seen the professor was a tiny polite smile, but this? It was as if Seiros herself had come down from the heavens and done a backflip.

“Cat! Cute! Cat! Love!” signed the Professor, with absolute delight. She sat down on the ground and let Hubert and the now also approaching other kittens attempt to climb on her. She didn’t sign much after that, as the tiny animals required the attention of both her hands. A chorus of mews sounded about as the kittens claimed their new plaything.

Hubert was the bravest one, eager to be picked up and held. Rhea was second in line as she saw her brother go first and got jealous. Felix was content to stay on the ground and headbomp Byleth’s legs. Edelgard had a good sniff of the new human, then decided she’d rather go back to her mother and nestle in her fur there.

The kittens were so… so fearless! This was a complete stranger, someone much bigger than them, and she came barging into their home and... and... and…

Professor Byleth noticed Bernie’s train of thoughts going haywire. She wasn’t very emotive, but she was damned perceptive. She gently put Rhea back down to play with Felix, but carefully stood up still holding Hubert in her cupped hands. She stepped towards Bernadetta.

Byleth tapped Bernadetta, still holding a black kitten that squirmed in delight. She indicated for Bernie to take hold of Hubert for a moment, and Bernadetta complied. Hubert didn’t mind being transferred, happily purring away. Byleth kneeled down to be more level with the sitting Bernadetta.

“I love cats,” signed Byleth, still smiling. “You love cats too!”

“I… I guess I do, Professor… I’m sorry… it’s not allowed and it’s terrible that I did this...” Bernie replied.

“Don’t be sorry. Cats are good for monastery. Cats are good for people. Cats are good for Bernadetta.”

“They are?” Bernie asked, while absent-mindedly running her finger over Hubert’s fluffy forehead.

“If not allowed, I will make it so. I promise.”

Byleth sighed, relieved.

“I was worried. Friends were worried. You eat strange, skip meals, hide in room more. But better at talking. Better at resting. Better at Bernadetta.”

“You find people scary, but find the cats not so scary. Even when you are scared, you ask for help to better help your cats. You don’t like anyone being in your space, and that is okay, but despite them being in your room uninvited you do anything to help these cats. You are very brave, Bernadetta. I am proud of you.”

A gear hit a snag inside the mind of Bernadetta von Varley. 

Bernadetta’s all too familiar wave of unchecked emotion came coursing through her. It spread from her heart on out to her limbs and digits, and when it reached the very edge it bounced back. Until it was all over, Bernadetta could not move, not speak, not breathe. She had grown used to this happening, and she prayed that it would not strike her on the battlefield. 

However, this time there was something different about it. On the way back, the sensation left a tingle on Bernie’s skin. A very nice feeling. It felt like the fur on little Hubert, engulfing Bernadetta in a cocoon of fuzziness. 

Bernie teared up and hoped that that wasn’t due to any cat allergies, because she was never letting go of this kitten again. She fell forward into a gentle hug. Byleth sat with her for at least an hour more as they played with the cats. 

A few days later.

“Ha! Even my attendance record beats out yours, your Highness!” Ferdinand von Aegir taunted as Edelgard and Hubert entered the Black Eagles’ classroom, the last ones in.

“Ferdinand, please. It’s a Saturday and unlike you I actually have important matters to attend to,” Edelgard said as she rolled her eyes, subtly gestured for Hubert to refrain from physically attacking for now, and nursed a stress headache with her fingers on her temples. 

“Also I have not had my morning coffee yet, so make like the Kingdom and split before I...”

“Good morning, Edie, Hubert!” Dorothea said as she turned Ferdinand away by the shoulders to let the boy take a seat on the other side of the classroom.

“Morning, Dorothea. Do you have any idea as to why the Professor called for us on a Saturday morning?”

“Hmm, I was hoping you could tell me actually. How odd,” Dorothea said with a confused look on her face.

“What’s odd?” asked Linhardt, only now waking up. “What are you guys doing here anyway? Did I sleep through the whole weekend? _Again?_ “

Petra and Caspar evidently also had no better clues to the situation, and Petra was about to speak when...

“Ahum! Uh, guys?” called Bernadetta from the lecture desk. She stood in the middle of the room, and there was a basket with a blanket over it on the desk itself. Either she only just walked in from the back or everybody had overlooked her.

Byleth was now behind the group, closing the door. Edelgard tried to address her, but the professor held her finger to her lips, and pointed to Bernadetta with a proud smile.

“Thank you all for coming here and uh… I have something that I want to show you all… if that’s okay… Could you all come a little *gulp* closer, please?”

The students formed a half circle around Bernadetta, and the Professor stood next to her. She put her hand on Bernie’s shoulder and gently squeezed for a final bit of encouragement.

Bernie removed the cloth from the basket gently, revealing Audrey and her babies, one awake and a little cautious and four happily asleep. Coos and other sounds of affection ensued. 

Bernie put her hand on Audrey’s head, reassuring her that these other humans were friends. Like they were friends. Wonderful things to have, no matter your species. Bernie loved Audrey, Audrey loved Bernie.  



End file.
